What Lies Beneath
by Above the Winter Moonlight
Summary: AU. When mission to retrieve a holocron from the ruins of Marka Ragnos's tomb goes wrong, Anakin Skywalker is captured by self-proclaimed Sith acolytes. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano find themselves in a race against time to save Anakin facing a psychotic former Sith Lord and allying themselves with an untrustworthy witch along the way...
1. Prologue: When Opportunity Knocks

**Author's Note: **Three notes I would like to point out. First of all, this takes place after the Clone Wars episode "Revenge" but _may_ turn everything that occurs after "Revenge", including RotS, AU. Second of all, the Sith acolytes mentioned in the summary are OCs though I probably didn't have to say that. Third of all, the title comes from a song of the same name by Breaking Benjamin so I do not own it. I hope that you like my brand new story and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.

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_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Star Wars, I never have and I never will and I am only saying this once._

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**What Lies Beneath**

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**Prologue: ****When Opportunity Knocks**

_Korriban, the ancestral home of the Sith. She has never actually visited the planet, never seen it before today and yet she could feel the darkness swell from its surface. It was intoxicating and yet subdued to where there was no doubt in her mind that it would likely not affect those who used the light side of the Force as it affected her._

_ The barren, scarred landscape stretched as far as the eye could see with the orb of red light sinking toward the horizon casting rays of bloody light upon the land. The valley was a quiet graveyard, as silent as the ruined tombs that filled it. It was also devoid of life; no creatures of the dark that once stalked the landscape existed._

_ It seemed odd that she would be dreaming about such a place. The darkness was strong on this planet, reaching out cold claws toward her or rather toward the darkness that existed within her._

_ Korriban was a place that yielded many secrets but only for those who dared travel across its scarred surface. She was not one of them; she never had the privilege of traveling to the homeworld of the ancient Sith. The Pentarchy chose who were allowed to leave the planet and who weren't and she, being only an apprentice, hasn't yet been chosen to make the journey to Korriban that all acolytes made eventually._

_ The only reason she knew the planet she was currently looking at was Korriban was because of the extensive research her Master had her do in the first couple of months of her training. Nevertheless, she was unsure as to why she was currently looking at the vast, desolate landscape of Korriban._

_ She had a unique gift, the ability to see the future in her dreams. At the very least, it was unique to the Pentarchy though she heard tales that others, namely Jedi, also had the gift of premonitions. However, just because she could see the future did not mean anything because her visions have always been foggy and very vague._

_ At least, that was the way it was until that night._

_ Never before has she had a vision as vivid as the one she was currently experiencing and she still did not know what it was her gift was trying to show her. It was confusing. Was her vision hinted that she would soon make the journey to Korriban? Or was it something more than that? She did not know the answers to any of those questions._

_ At least, that was the way it was until she watched as a decrepit freighter glided over the land to settle in a dry riverbed south of the valley. The freighter landed on the land and three people exited it walking down the boarding ramp. Two of the people were humans while the third was a young Togruta. They were each cloaked in Jedi robes and had a lightsaber hanging on their belt._

Who are these people?_ She wondered. They were important, they had to be important or why would she be dreaming about them as vividly as she was?_

_ The vision suddenly began to fade but she noticed that it lingered longer on the taller of the two humans. She studied the tall man as she was sure he was important if her vision was lingering longer on him than on his companions. However, she was unsure what was so important about him._

_ That was until the words came. Spoken in a soft whisper that could barely be heard, they were words that she automatically knew were important. _"The Chosen One shall arrive in the darkest of times and bring balance to the Force bearing the name Skywalker," _the voice said before the vision shattered._

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Renali Merin sat up sharply on her bed gazing up at the ceiling of her small room thinking over her vision while wondering what was so important about her vision and the name; Skywalker. It echoed through her mind and she wondered if that was the name of the man her vision seemed to linger on before it shattered.

She knew she would have to tell her Master about her vision especially if it really dealt with the Chosen One. The Chosen One, a seemingly mythical threat to the Pentarchy that they believed in. He was said to be born without a father, have an extremely high amount of midichlorians and be destined to destroy the Sith. If the Chosen One truly did exist, and if the man Renali saw in her vision truly was him, then the Pentarchy had to know about it.

Getting to her feet, changing and clipping her lightsaber to her belt, Renali left her room and walked down the winding corridors of the Sith Sanctuary hidden deep within the mountains of Darkknell. The planet was covered by a perpetual darkness because of the dying, or weak, stars that it rotated around. However, the darkness provided the Sith acolytes with a perfect place to hide from the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

There were times when the Pentarchy would receive reports of Separatists arriving on the planet and speaking with its inhabitants but the Pentarchy went out of their way to avoid alerting the Separatists to their existence. That was because they represented a time before the Rule of Two was constructed and the Pentarchy were determined to make sure the current Rule of Two followers, discovered by their spies as Darth Sidious and Darth Tyranus, did not learn that there were Sith out there who did not follow the Rule of Two.

Renali did not see why anyone would follow the Rule of Two; there was greater strength in numbers but some did not see it that way.

Her thoughts drifted to her vision and the young man who may or may not be the Chosen One and she was so deep in her thoughts that she barely noticed it when someone fell into step beside her.

"You look deep in thought," The only person among the Sith acolytes that Renali considered a friend, Leaf, commented.

Renali blinked before looking at her friend. "I had a vision last night," she admitted. Leaf was the only one she felt comfortable talking to about her visions. Everyone else, including her Master who was one of the members of the Pentarchy, saw her ability to see the future as useless.

Leaf's eyebrows rose. "Another one?" he asked.

"Yes but this one was different. This one was much more vivid, Leaf. I could actually describe, in detail, three people that I saw in this vision. Plus, I actually saw Korriban just as it is described within the texts," Renali explained. "And I heard something."

"Heard something?"

"Yes. Words, like a prophecy."

"You should probably tell your Master and the Pentarchy."

"That's what I'm on my way to do."

They arrived at the conference chamber were the Pentarchy spent most of their days discussing the plans they keep postponing. When she reached the door, she waited until she was bid to enter since she knew they already knew she was there.

"Come!" Renali's Master called and she stepped into the conference room while Leaf decided to wait outside.

Renali's Master, Sya, looked up as did the remaining four members of the Pentarchy. "Why are you here, apprentice?" she asked cool brown eyes fixed on the young Sith apprentice.

"I've had a vision, Master," Renali said kneeling down and lowering her head.

"Explain."

Renali explained the vision before finishing with, "I have never had a vision as vivid as this one before and I believe that the man I see in my vision is the Chosen One mentioned in those words I heard."

Sya was silent for a long moment eyes narrowed before she looked at her four other companions. "If the Chosen One truly has surfaced then we must take this seriously," she said.

"How can we believe your apprentice's vision, Lady Sya?" a man only five years older than Renali, the youngest member of the Pentarchy, protested. "Her visions have always been vague and confusing before."

"It is because her vision is not vague and confusing that I believe we should take it seriously, Lord Shadai," Sya said.

"And if it is wrong?" asked a blonde woman sitting beside Shadai.

"Then so be it, Lady Daisa. The way I see it, we send some acolytes and two apprentices to Korriban to see if the vision my apprentice had is true. If it is not then at least two of our apprentices will have made the journey they are required to make and it if is true then we can capture the Chosen One before deciding what to do with him."

"If we do it that way," said the man that sat on Shadai's other side with the fifth member of the group at his other side, "then we must decide what to do with the Chosen One once we have him."

"If you want my opinion, Lord Myak, I say kill him," Shadai said coolly. "He is too dangerous to be kept alive."

"Why kill him?" Sya said with a frown. "Someone as powerful as the Chosen One is rumored to be, we cannot let that power go to waste."

"Are you suggesting we _turn_ him?" asked Daisa sounding surprised.

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting," Sya said.

"That's ridiculous," Myak sneered.

"Think about it, Lord Myak. The Chosen One is destined to destroy the Sith. If we turn him then we can use him against the Jedi. With the Chosen One, we can accelerate our plans against both the Republic and Darth Sidious."

Myak frowned but said nothing more and Daisa looked thoughtful. "Your idea has merits. But if he refuses to turn?"

"Then we kill him. Either way, we will have the advantage we've been wanting."

"I still say we should just kill him," Shadai said.

"I agree with Lord Shadai," Myak said.

"Well, I honestly see that your idea is a good one, Sya, so I agree with you."

"Naturally, you would," Myak sneered. "You two always agree with each other."

"Not all the time and this time, her idea makes sense," Daisa retorted.

"Don't you see that the Chosen One is much too dangerous to our cause to be kept alive," Shadai protested. "We must kill him."

"Turning him to the dark side is as good a plan as killing him is," Sya snapped.

Shadai glared at her.

Renali, a little uncomfortable since she hadn't been dismissed yet, did her best to stop herself from fidgeting as the four members of the Pentarchy continued to argue over which plan they would do.

"Silence!"

All four members fell silent before turning as one to face the speaker, the fifth member of the Pentarchy, Lord Miser. The tall, muscular Sith acolyte was, by far, the most powerful of the five members of the Pentarchy and, by default, the leader of the Sith acolytes. He usually remained silent during these meetings and only spoke when the group was in disagreement.

Miser simply examined the group once they fell silent. "Both of your plans have merits," he stated quietly. "No matter which plan is chosen, just as Lady Sya said, we will be able to accelerate our plans. So, the question here is which shall be done? I have listened to the four of you and I have come to a decision that shall satisfy both of you. We shall act upon the apprentice's vision and send a group of acolytes to Korriban to determine whether the apprentice's vision is correct. If it is correct then we shall capture the Chosen One."

He fell silent for a moment. "We shall first attempt to turn the Chosen One to the dark side," he stated, "and if we fail then we shall kill him. Will that satisfy you, Lord Shadai, Lord Myak?"

The two Sith acolytes exchanged glances before nodding slowly in response but it was obvious they weren't entirely happy.

"Then that is what shall be done," Miser said not seeming to notice, or not bothering to acknowledge, Shadai and Myak's disappointment. "Lady Sya, we shall send your apprentice and the apprentice Leaf with a group of five acolytes to Korriban to determine whether the vision is true and, if necessary, bring the Chosen One here to Darkknell."

"And if it is not true, Lord Miser?" Myak asked sourly.

"Then there will be no harm done. The way I see it, if the apprentice's vision is true then this is an opportunity we cannot, we must not, pass up. Lady Sya, you choose who shall accompany your apprentice and apprentice Leaf to Korriban."

"Yes Lord Miser."

"Apprentice Renali, you are dismissed. Go and get ready for you and Leaf shall leave as soon as your master chooses who shall accompany you. Understand?"

"I understand my lord," Renali replied bowing at the waist before she turned around and left the conference room thinking about her first journey to Korriban, which shall determine whether her vision was correct or not.

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**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: that was just the prologue**

**Darth: no really?**

**Blaze: (rolls eyes) I hoped you liked the prologue**

**Harry: I did!**

**Severus: You always like it**

**Harry: I do n… (thinks about it) well I guess I do**

**Severus: (sighs and pulls out bazooka)**

**Palpypie: hi**

**Severus: (blasts Palpypie with bazooka and tosses bazooka at Dooku)**

**Palpypie: (surprisingly still alive) dang it! Who did that?**

**Severus: Dooku did**

**Palpypie: (glares at Dooku)**

**Dooku: this time, it wasn't me!**

**Palpypie: this time?**

**Dooku: uh, oh**

**Palpypie: (blasts Dooku with Force lightning)**

**Obi-Wan: (pushes Palpypie into hole and walks off to Starbucks)**

**Darth: (joins Obi-Wan)**

**Blaze: (chuckles) please review and I shall post chapter 1 as soon as I possibly can, if it's not already posted.**


	2. 1: The Council Meeting

**Well, here is the first chapter of my brand-new story. I would like to thank the 9 people who reviewed the prologue and I hope that you like this chapter. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

**1: The Council Meeting**

The beauty of the Room of a Thousand Fountains provided a welcoming distraction from the bad feeling that was clinging to Obi-Wan's consciousness. He didn't know why he was having a bad feeling but he had learned a long time ago to never discount a bad feeling. Bad feelings were warnings though Obi-Wan never knew of what the feeling was warning him until it happened. The most evident, and most recent, example of this was the recent fight with Darth Maul on Raydonia. He had a bad feeling when Maul first challenged him and yet he still went alone; it was not one of his better plans.

Obi-Wan shifted into a more comfortable position doing his best to ignore the spark of pain. He was recovering from what Maul put him through above Raydonia but there were times when his wounds would hurt. Considering the fight occurred only a few days earlier, it made sense that Obi-Wan was still feeling his wounds. Naturally, he insisted to Master Vokara Che in the Hall of Healing that he was well enough to leave because of how much he disliked the Hall of Healing.

"Shouldn't you be in the Hall of Healing, Master?" Anakin's voice sounded and Obi-Wan glanced over his shoulder as his tall, former apprentice walked over to join him. The Jedi Knight, with whom he had not been on much speaking terms since the incident with Moralo Eval, sat down beside him gazing at the vegetation.

"I am fine, Anakin," Obi-Wan replied. He was thankful that Anakin was speaking to him again even though he was pretty sure Anakin was still upset about the incident when he was deceived.

Anakin snorted. "You just got beat up by a crazy Sith Lord wanting to kill you not even three days ago. I doubt you're really fine," he said.

"It wasn't that bad, Anakin," Obi-Wan assured his former apprentice.

Anakin was silent for a long moment. "You should have taken someone with you," he said finally. "I would have gone with you had you only asked."

"He asked me to go alone…"

"And you're suddenly following the orders of a crazy Sith Lord?"

Obi-Wan decided against answering that question. "Besides, I felt I had to face Maul alone, Anakin. Mace offered to go with me but I refused. Yoda agreed with me," he said.

"I still think it was wrong for you to go off by yourself. You could have been killed."

"But I wasn't, Anakin. I knew what I was getting into when I first decided to go."

Anakin didn't meet his gaze. "Maul wouldn't have gotten the better of you if you had backup, if I had been with you," he said.

"You don't know that, Anakin."

"Two on two would have been better odds than two on one."

Obi-Wan knew that his former apprentice was right but it wasn't as if he knew Savage would be there. "I was not expecting Savage to be there," he admitted. "That took me by surprise but, in the end, I got help."

"You would never have been in that predicament had you asked someone to go with you."

Obi-Wan observed his former apprentice who was still refusing to meet his gaze. "I know, Anakin," he said. "I would have brought you, or someone else, with me were I not convinced I had to face Maul myself. That was poor thinking on my part."

"Not the only time recently that that's happened."

Obi-Wan winced a little at the slight anger and resentment in his former apprentice's voice. He knew of what Anakin was referring to. Now that Anakin was actually talking to him, Obi-Wan decided to clear the air a bit. "Anakin," he said gently, "I know you don't like my decision to not tell you about faking my death during the incident with Moralo Eval. But you must understand that it was the best thing to do."

"Best thing to do?" Anakin echoed anger in his voice. "Did it ever cross you mind that I could have helped you with the mission?"

"Your reaction was the key to selling the sniper story."

"Then why didn't you tell me afterwards? After everything we've been through, why didn't you trust me enough to tell me about it after your fake funeral? Why wait until after Eval and Bane were arrested?" Anakin demanded still not meeting Obi-Wan's gaze.

"Anakin, I do trust you…" Obi-Wan began.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" Anakin interrupted.

Obi-Wan hesitated because he could not recall the real reason why he decided to leave his former apprentice, and the young man that he loved like a brother, in the dark. "I needed to convince Dooku of my sincerity, Anakin, and keeping you in the dark helped accomplish that." It was only after Obi-Wan said those words that he knew he had said the wrong thing

"So you say you trust me and yet you didn't trust me to not blow your cover?" Anakin snapped angrily before he got to his feet.

"Anakin, that's not…" Obi-Wan began but Anakin ignored him as he left the room.

The Jedi Master sighed before closing his eyes. That did not go as well as he thought it would.

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Anakin only made it halfway to the apartment he shared with his apprentice, his thoughts still on Obi-Wan and his words, before he was stopped. Blinking, he pulled himself from his thoughts before looking at Ahsoka who was examining him with concern in her large blue eyes.

"Are you all right, Master?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Anakin said a little shortly.

Ahsoka blinked. "You sure don't sound fine," she said.

"Is there any real reason why you stopped me, Ahsoka?"

"Oh yes, the Council wants to speak with us and Master Kenobi."

_What now?_ Anakin thought. "Obi-Wan's in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Will you go and fetch him for me?" he asked.

Ahsoka's lekku twitched a little. "Are you still avoiding him, Master?" she asked.

When Anakin didn't answer, she added, "I mean, I can understand why you're upset but I think you should give him the benefit of the doubt. Think about it this way, if you were in his position then what would you have done?"

Anakin didn't look at his apprentice, who was only fifteen and yet seemed to drip with a maturity beyond her years. The war had hardened her and forced her to grow up quicker than most apprentices her age and yet she was taking everything thrown at her in stride. Anakin found he could not be prouder of his apprentice.

"I would have told Obi-Wan the truth had I been in his position," he stated.

"Would you, Master, if it meant there was a chance it'll cost the mission or many lives?"

Anakin blinked because his apprentice had a point. "I guess not," he said. "But he would have kept everything a secret just as I would have."

"Could you really have taken that chance?"

"Who's side are you on, Ahsoka?"

"I'm on no one's side. I'm just trying to help. You two are best friends, Master. Are you really going to let what happened destroy that friendship?"

Anakin looked away. "No," he murmured. He still saw and loved Obi-Wan like an older brother and like the father he never had. He knew it would take time to really forgive Obi-Wan for what happened but he knew, eventually, he would.

"I know you're just trying to help, Ahsoka," he added, "and thank you for that but I just need some time to come to terms with this."

Ahsoka blinked her large eyes before she nodded. "I understand, Master. You should probably get going before you're late. I'll go get Master Kenobi." With another nod, the young Togruta dashed off toward the Room of a Thousand Fountains.

Anakin watched her go before heading over to the Council chamber. He waited at the door to the chamber for Ahsoka and Obi-Wan to join him before walking into the chamber. Obi-Wan walked in after him, still sore from his run in with Maul on Raydonia, and Ahsoka brought up the rear.

"A mission for the three of you we have," Master Yoda began resting his hands on top of his gimer stick as he stood in front of them in the middle of the chamber. "A quick mission this should be but important we believe it is. Discovered we have that exists a holocron of an ancient Sith lord does. Believe we do that find this holocron on Korriban you will. Fall into the hands of Count Dooku this cannot."

"Or into Maul's hands," Obi-Wan said thoughtfully. "Where do we look?"

"Believe we do that be in the tomb of the Sith lord to whom it belongs it will," Yoda said. "Go to Korriban you three must and to the tomb of Marka Ragnos and, hopefully, find this holocron you will."

"Also, since Korriban is in Separatist space, you three will have to go by yourself," said Mace. "So you will have to be extra careful."

"Yes Masters."

"Leave now you will," Yoda said. "May the Force be with you."

The three Jedi left the Council Chamber and Ahsoka glanced at Anakin and Obi-Wan before smirking. "I'm going to go find Artoo and prep the ship," she said and, before Anakin could protest, she took off.

_Blast it Ahsoka,_ Anakin thought.

Obi-Wan watched Ahsoka as she left. "You should be proud of her," he said.

"I am," Anakin said.

"She will become a great Jedi Knight someday. She has a great teacher."

Anakin glanced at his former master who shrugged and said, "It's true. You're a natural teacher, Anakin."

Anakin hesitated. "I learned a lot from you," he admitted finally and swiftly changed the subject before Obi-Wan could reply to that. "Come on. We should probably get going before Ahsoka leaves without us."

Without waiting for his former master to reply, Anakin jogged away down the corridor toward where the _Twilight_ was docked.

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Ahsoka sighed as she watched Anakin enter the former Separatist freighter with Obi-Wan just behind her. There air between the two was still tense but the tension wasn't as strong as it was when Anakin first learned of Obi-Wan's deception a couple of months earlier. Though a couple of months had gone by, Anakin wasn't known to get over things, especially not something like this, quickly.

Ahsoka was trying to get Anakin to accept what Obi-Wan had done and move past it but trying to do that was akin to trying to push a heavily-armored tank over without the Force. Anakin was just too stubborn.

"I've never been to Korriban," she commented when Anakin slipped into the pilot's seat in the cockpit and Obi-Wan took a seat in the co-pilot's seat. The _Twilight_ was the best chance the three of them would have at sneaking past enemy lines to get to Korriban since it was once a Separatist ship. At least, that was supposing they weren't stopped by someone who's seen the _Twilight_ before.

"I don't exactly have good memories of the last time I've been to Korriban," Anakin murmured.

Ahsoka frowned. "What happened?'

"I don't want to talk about it."

"But…?"

"Leave it, Ahsoka," Obi-Wan said. "If Anakin wants to tell you about what happened then he will in his own time."

"So you know what happened?"

"Yes." Obi-Wan did not elaborate and Ahsoka saw Anakin toss Obi-Wan a brief, thankful look, before he activated the thrusters and guided the _Twilight_ beyond the atmosphere of Coruscant. Once in the space around the city-planet, he punched in the coordinates for Korriban and made the jump to hyperspace.

The journey was made in silence. Obi-Wan meditated, Anakin tinkered with the _Twilight_'s systems and Ahsoka helped him. They worked as quietly as they could to avoid interrupting Obi-Wan's meditation because he needed it. He was too stubborn to rest on his own whenever he was injured and meditation was the second best option.

Ahsoka handed Anakin the tool he asked for before deciding to break the silence that befell the group. "What do you know about Korriban, Master?" she asked.

"It was the ancestral homeworld of the Sith," Anakin said. "Many Sith lords are actually buried there. Marka Ragnos was one of them. Most of the tombs are in ruins."

"So is there really any hope that a holocron is actually intact?"

"Not much," Anakin admitted.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Master," Ahsoka murmured because she did. She didn't know why but she did.

"Don't say that. You'll jinx it," Anakin said with a faint smile though Ahsoka could see in his eyes that he felt the same way.

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**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: and that was the first chapter. Yes, I know it was short. The next one will be longer, I promise you**

**Darth: I hope you keep to that promise**

**Blaze: oh bleh**

**Anakin: what's going to happen in the next chapter?**

**Blaze: arrival on Korriban, finding the tomb and a look into Renali Merin's POV, not in that order**

**Anakin: ah okay, cool**

**Blaze: please review and I will post the next chapter as soon as I possibly can but I doubt it will be anytime soon**


	3. 2: The Silence of a Graveyard

**Thank you to the 6 people who read the last chapter. Also, Marka Ragnos's tomb; I'm basing it on what it looks like in KOTOR. I hope that you like this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

**2: The Silence of a Graveyard**

The cruiser glided out of hyperspace revealing the planet of Korriban resting against a star-speckled backdrop. Even from space, Renali could feel the tendrils of the dark side and she could tell her companions were feeling the same. She was being accompanied by Leaf and five others though she only knew them by face in the Sanctuary and never by name until that day.

"There it is, Korriban," said Sebas, a dark skinned Sith acolyte who was currently flying the ship, lifting one hand from the control yoke to point at the planet that was gradually filling the viewports of the ship they were on. "Let's head over to the Valley and wait."

"Hopefully, we aren't wasting our time," Landa, a young woman with dark eyes, said coolly not even looking at Renali. She was always one to point out the uselessness of Renali's gift and it was obvious she didn't believe that the vision Renali had was going to come true.

If Renali wanted to be truly honest with herself then she would admit that she agreed with Landa. Despite how vivid it was, she wished she could know for sure if the vision was true or not.

"I don't think we are," Leaf said.

"How long do you suppose we'll have to wait?" Arida asked narrowing her eyes. She was the most recent member invited to join the Sith acolytes by the Pentarchy and little was known about her past except that she was betrayed before she came to Darkknell. Renali was also convinced that Arida wasn't even her name but she didn't have any evidence to prove that point.

Arida looked at Renali as she asked that question as if she was expecting the apprentice to know the answer to that question. Unfortunately, Renali didn't. "I don't know," she admitted. "It was daytime though."

"That certainly narrows it down," Landa said upper lip curling in a sneer as sarcasm dripped from her voice.

Renali bristled but said nothing.

Leaf placed a hand on Renali's shoulder. "Don't let her get to you," he said quietly. "I believe you."

She glanced at her friend before nodding slowly in response feeling grateful that at least someone in the ship believed that her vision was true. She returned her gaze to the viewports as Sebas guided the ship past the atmosphere and toward the Valley. It glided quietly over the scarred landscape of Korriban and Renali stood up before pointing toward the dry riverbed she remembered from her vision.

"That's where the freighter parked," she said quietly. "I don't think we should land in the Valley though. The Jedi might become suspicious if they see another ship there."

"Where would you land then?" Arida asked.

"How about the ruins of the old Sith academy?" Leaf suggested pointing toward the ruins on the other side of the Valley. "It will prevent the Jedi from knowing we're here."

"They won't sense us either not with how strong the dark side is on this planet," said Renali.

Sebas nodded before he turned the control yoke to starboard and guided the ship toward the ruins of the Sith academy. Landing the ship next to the collapsed entrance of the academy, Sebas shut down the main engines before lowering the boarding ramp. "I suppose we just have to wait."

"But why would the Jedi come here?" Ingri, a red-haired Sith acolyte who had been silent throughout the entire journey from Darkknell, asked with a small frown.

"Who knows why the Jedi do anything? Gabrien, the fifth Sith acolyte who had accompanied them and who had also been silent since the start of the journey, pointed out.

"Gabrien has a point," said Renali. "They could be seeking something within the tombs though."

"It's possible," Sebas said.

"Well, we won't find out sitting around here," Landa said. "Let's go wait in the Valley. I suggest that we have someone stay near the riverbed Renali _says_ the Jedi will land in so that he or she can alert us if they arrive."

Sebas nodded in agreement. "What do you say, Gabrien?" he asked. Gabrien was the oldest of the Sith acolytes and that made him in charge of the mission.

He nodded in agreement. "Since you were the one that had the vision, Renali, you go wait by the riverbed and alert us if they do arrive," he said.

"All right."

"I'll go with," Leaf said automatically.

"Keeping an eye out for the Jedi doesn't take more than one person, Leaf," Gabrien said. "You'll stay with us. While we're here, I think we should take a look at the tombs. If we can find any holocrons that might have survived then I believe the Pentarchy would be pleased."

"I'd better head over to the riverbed," said Renali walking out of the cockpit and down the boarding ramp onto the barren landscape of the homeworld of the Sith. She then made her way across the landscape toward the ruined entrance of the Valley of the Sith Lords.

* * *

Obi-Wan meditated but he was still aware of everything that was going on in the cockpit of the _Twilight. _He didn't let on that he wasn't as deep in his meditation was he was supposed to be. He was supposed to be resting to overcome the wounds he received when he fought Maul and Savage above Raydonia but he found that his thoughts seemed to keep drifting.

His thoughts were focused mostly on Anakin. His friendship with his best friend, his brother, had been severely shaken when he agreed to deceive Anakin in order to stop a plot against Palpatine. He had been doing what he thought was best for the Republic but he regretted nearly losing his friendship with his brother.

"…said you wouldn't let this destroy your friendship with him so why are you avoiding talking to him again?" Ahsoka, only fifteen and yet with a maturity beyond her age, asked. She had learned much under Anakin's tutelage and, recently, she had become the voice of reason between Obi-Wan and his former apprentice. Unfortunately, Anakin was reluctant to listen to her advice.

"And what exactly am I supposed to say, Ahsoka?" Anakin asked. "I don't want to let this destroy our friendship but I can't exactly just forgive him out of the blue. I trust him with my life and yet he doesn't seem to trust me the same way."

Obi-Wan forced himself not to wince at that. He did trust Anakin with his life but his recent action with Moralo Eval, a few months earlier, clearly said the complete opposite of what he truly felt.

"I'm sure Master Obi-Wan does trust you just as much as you trust him."

"His actions speak louder than his words do."

"Has he actually said that he doesn't trust you?"

"He said that he couldn't trust me to not blow his cover."

Obi-wan could feel Ahsoka's frown. "That doesn't sound like something Master Obi-Wan would say, Master."

Anakin sighed. "He implied it."

"How'd he do that? What did he actually say?"

There was a long moment of silence. "He said that he needed to convince Dooku of his sincerity and keeping me in the dark was what he needed to do to accomplish that. That implies that he didn't trust met to not blow his cover."

"Master, I don't see it that way. Remember what I told you before, would you have risked the mission, and people's lives, by letting too many people know the truth?"

Another long moment of silence went by. Obi-Wan could sense that the question was rhetoric; Ahsoka likely already knew the answer to that question.

"I love him like a brother, Ahsoka," Anakin said softly. "And it hurt to be deceived like that even if it was for a good cause."

"Have you told him that you love him, Master?"

"I have told him, Ahsoka, but it's against the Jedi Code to have such attachments." There was a slight bitterness in Anakin's voice and Obi-Wan winced again. There was yet another moment of silence before Anakin began speaking again.

"Hand me the hydrospanner, Snips." There was the sound of tools exchanging hands. "I don't see what the big deal is with love. I don't see how it can be classified as a bad thing."

"The Jedi Code states that there is no passion, there is serenity," Ahsoka said putting the tool Anakin had handed her away.

"I don't see love as passion, Ahsoka. And what about compassion? That's central to a Jedi's life and I view it as a form of unconditional love. How would you describe compassion, Ahsoka?"

There was a long moment of silence. "Compassion is where you help someone without thought of reward, without thought to yourself."

"You've grown, Ahsoka."

Silence fell over the cockpit once again and Obi-Wan found that his thoughts kept drifting to Anakin's words.

* * *

Korriban; the ancient graveyard of the Sith Lords and a place that held bad memories, memories that were brought to the forefront of Anakin's mind as he guided the _Twilight_ through the atmosphere. He remembered the incident back when he was a Padawan; refusing to double check the work on Tru Veld's lightsaber and, as a result, involuntarily causing Darra Thel-Tanis's death. He had lost most, if not all, of his friends because of that incident and had disappointed his master. Korriban definitely did not hold good memories for him.

"Are you all right, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked quietly breaking through Anakin's thoughts.

Tightening his mental shields, he nodded.

It was obvious Obi-Wan wasn't convinced but he didn't push. "The Valley is over here," he said pointing to the navicomputer. "If we set down in this riverbed, we can enter the Valley on foot."

"Which tomb is Marka Ragnos's?" asked Ahsoka peering through the viewports at the Valley as Anakin guided the freighter toward it.

"I believe it's that one," Anakin pointed toward the tomb on the far side of the Valley closest to the ruins of the old Sith academy, "but I'm not sure."

"I believe that is it," Obi-Wan said.

"How will we know for sure?" Ahsoka asked with a frown.

"We won't," Anakin said. "The best thing we can do is search the tomb and hope we find the holocron."

"If it wasn't destroyed."

"Yeah, if it wasn't destroyed."

Anakin guided the freighter to the dry riverbed before activating the landing gear and landing. Cutting power to the main engines, he turned to Ahsoka and Obi-Wan. "Well, are we ready?" he asked.

Obi-Wan's hand was resting on his beard and his eyes were narrowed. "I have a bad feeling about this," he murmured.

"You aren't the only one, Master Kenobi," Ahsoka said. "I think all of us have a bad feeling about this mission."

"Let's just get it over with as quickly as possible," Anakin suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll wait outside. Artoo, you coming with?" Ahsoka glanced at the astromech droid who had accompanied them. Artoo beeped before rolling after Ahsoka as the young Togruta left the freighter. Anakin and Obi-Wan followed her in silence.

They stepped onto the dry riverbed into the silence that permeated the area. Anakin shivered even though it wasn't that cold. He was sure it was because of the dark side that seemed to swell from the planet itself. He glanced at Obi-Wan and Ahsoka but he couldn't tell whether his former master was affected by the darkness within the planet or not; Ahsoka seemed to be shivering as well.

"So this was the homeworld of the Sith?" she asked; her voice breaking the silence.

"Yes," Anakin replied.

"That explains a lot."

"Artoo, can you upload a map of the Valley of the Sith Lords so we can confirm if the tomb we pointed out is the right one?" Obi-Wan asked.

Artoo beeped before a holomap of the landscape appeared. Anakin peered at it; it was an older map that Anakin had Artoo download while they were en route to Korriban. It showed four different tombs two on either side of a courtyard a quarter of a kilometer from the ruins of the old Sith academy.

"It looks like our guess was right," Anakin said pointing to the tomb in the northwest corner of the map closest to the academy's ruins.

"Let's head out there then," Ahsoka said. "I'll feel a lot happier the further we're away from this planet."

"Can't say I don't agree with you, Snips," Anakin said with a smile.

Obi-Wan's eyes were narrowed. "I don't like this," he murmured.

"Were you expecting an attack, Master?" Anakin asked glancing at his former Master.

"No but this…it feels too easy," Obi-Wan said.

"Easy? Trying to make our way through a collapsed tomb without causing it to collapse even more is considered easy?" Anakin raised his eyebrows.

"No, it's more than that, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "I can feel it's more than that. It's as if the Force is trying to warn me of something but I can't figure out what."

"I don't feel anything." Anakin looked at Ahsoka. "Do you?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "But then, how can anyone feel anything with how strong the dark side is here?" she asked.

"That begs the question, how are you feeling something, Master, and we aren't?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I don't know. Strangely, it feels similar to the feeling I was getting on Raydonia."

"Right before you were ambushed by Savage and Maul?"

"Yes."

Anakin eyed the landscape. "Well then, I guess we just have to keep a lookout for a possible ambush. At least, you won't be outnumbered this time since we're here to back you up unlike on Raydonia." The last words were said bitterly and Anakin didn't catch it until he saw his former Master flinch.

"Yes, well, we don't know that," Obi-Wan said wiping all trace of emotion from his face though the hurt briefly flickered in his eyes before it disappeared. "Come, let's get going. Be on your guard though."

Anakin nodded. "Artoo, scan the area. Are there any other life-forms here?"

Artoo beeped before he began the scan.

"While he's doing that, we should get moving," said Obi-Wan. "It will take Artoo time to finish the scan."

Anakin nodded and the three of them began making their way out of the riverbed and toward the Valley of the Sith Lords.

* * *

Artoo Deetoo continued to scan the area looking for any organics and beeped in surprise when the results came back soon after his master and his master's companions disappeared. The results were surprising; there were at least seven organics in the immediate area and a ship parked nearby.

Artoo activated the comlink but, before he could contact his master, a female organic appeared in front of him and the comlink flew from Artoo's pincher to land in her hand. She then activated a lightsaber, like the one Artoo's master carried but red, and destroyed the comlink.

"Blast, I never saw a droid in my vision," the female organic said.

Artoo beeped angrily before rolling at the female organic shocker at the ready. The female organic's lightsaber came dangerously close to cleaving Artoo in half and he quickly rolled backwards to avoid the blade.

Pulling out a blaster from a holster on her side, the female organic fired and Artoo didn't have time to screech a warning he knew his master would have heard as the ion blast, which disrupted all of his systems and immobilized him, hit him.

* * *

Renali lowered the ion blaster. _Good thing I brought it with me,_ she thought. She cursed her vision; her vision had only showed her three people but it didn't show the droid. However, she felt in the Force that she should be prepared for anything, including a droid being part of the Jedi's party, and that was why she brought the ion blaster.

She used the Force to return the astromech droid to the freighter before dashing toward the edge of the riverbed. She crouched down and peered over it as she holstered the ion blaster. She could see the three Jedi, the tallest of the three leading them, making their way into the ruins of the Valley. The tallest one, the one her vision had lingered on who might be the Chosen One, stopped before turning around and saying something that Renali was too far away to hear.

While the three companions talked, Renali turned around and rested her back against the side of the riverbed as she pulled out her comlink. "Merin to Tresa, come in," she whispered.

"_Tresa here,_" Leaf's voice sounded over the link.

"The targets have entered the Valley."

"_I see them. I'll let the others know. Do you know where they're heading yet?_"

"No, they stopped walking. They had a droid with them but I managed to immobilize it before it could warn them."

"_A droid? You're vision never mentioned a droid,_" said Leaf.

"I know. But then, all my visions are _possible_ futures and everything, aside from the droid's appearance, came true."

"_You do have a point. Sebas says to let us know the instant you know where they are heading._"

"Will do. Merin out." Renali deactivated the comlink before returning it to the pocket of her black vest. Then she sat up and peered over the edge of the riverbed into the Valley. The three Jedi were walking again but they came to a stop in the center of the Valley. Again, Renali was too far away to hear what they were saying. They were gazing around as if they were expecting trouble though.

They began walking again and Renali immediately noticed they were heading toward the Tomb of Marka Ragnos. Their hands rested on the hilts of their lightsabers and their eyes were scanning the area.

The young apprentice ducked down again before activating her comlink. "Leaf, they're heading toward Marka Ragnos's tomb," she whispered into it.

"_Sebas and I are within that tomb. I'll contact the others._"

"_We're going to have to figure out a way to separate the Chosen One, if he really is the Chosen One, from his companions. Only then will we stand a chance at capturing him,_" Sebas's voice sounded over the comlink.

"If I remember what I learned about the tombs of Korriban, there are at least two chambers they'll have to go through before they reach the actual tomb. If we can make it so that they have to enter one of the chambers one by one, we can separate them," said Renali as the idea came into her mind.

"_You've always been good at coming up with plans, Renali,_" Leaf said.

"_It's a sound plan and one that might work,_" Sebas said. "_Very well, we'll try that. Renali, since you are furthest from us, you'll act as the backup group to keep the two other Jedi occupied while Leaf, Landa, Ingri and I capture the Chosen One. Ingri and Landa have just joined us._"

"All right, Sebas."

"_Do not attack until I tell you to though._"

"Yes Sebas. Merin out." Renali deactivated the comlink before putting it away and, once she was sure the Jedi weren't watching, left the riverbed and dashed toward one of the fallen columns that littered the courtyard. She crouched down behind it and peered around. She spotted Arida and Gabrien crouching down beside a column near Ajunta Pell's tomb; Sebas had obviously contacted them most likely through the Force.

Renali returned her gaze to the three Jedi and settled down to wait for the signal.

* * *

Ahsoka peered at the entrance to Marka Ragnos's tomb. Parts of the side of the doorway had collapsed causing the area around the entrance to be littered with rubble and Ahsoka feared opening the doors would cause the entire doorway to collapse. She glanced at Obi-Wan and Anakin who were eyeing the entrance warily and discussing what could be done to avoid injuries.

"Opening the doors without causing the doorway to finish collapsing is going to be a challenge," Obi-Wan said.

"What if we use the Force to keep the doorway from collapsing when we open the door until after it's closed and then repeat the process when we leave?" Ahsoka suggested.

"There's no telling if that'll work when we leave the tomb," Anakin said, "but it's a sound plan."

"Unfortunately, I can't think of another plan," said Obi-Wan. "We'll go with your plan, Ahsoka, and hope it works."

Ahsoka turned her gaze to the door. "Should I go first?" she asked.

"Might be best. You're smaller," Anakin said. "Why don't we try to open the doors and if it seems as though the doorway's going to collapse, we'll use the Force to keep it steady."

"A good plan," Obi-Wan said with a nod.

With the help of the Force, Ahsoka opened the doors to the tomb wincing when she heard stone grate against stone but the doorway held. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to open it further than a few feet. Letting the doors go, she felt Anakin and Obi-Wan reach out to hold the doors open and she slipped through them into the chamber beyond.

"It looks like the doorway will hold but the doors won't," Obi-Wan said.

"Maybe we can put something to brace the door with," Ahsoka suggested.

"Do you see anything big enough in there?" asked Anakin.

Ahsoka gazed around; parts of the ceiling had caved in allowing red sunlight from Korriban's sun to illuminate the chamber. Though there was a lot of rubble, none of the pieces looked big enough or strong enough to brace the door. "Can't see anything," she called back.

"We'll have to reopen the door when we leave then," Obi-Wan said.

Ahsoka turned around before using the Force to keep the doors open as Anakin made his way into the chamber followed by Obi-Wan. Once they were clear of the door, she let them close.

Obi-Wan was examining the area thoughtfully. "There's another door straight ahead," he said. "That will likely take us to the actual tomb and, possibly, where the holocron is located."

"Let's try to open it without bringing the rest of the tomb down on us," Ahsoka suggested.

Anakin chuckled before nodding in agreement. The three Jedi made their way toward the door and, again, had to use the Force to open the door. Thankfully, it opened all the way revealing a hallway that led to another doorway. "This will probably take us directly to the tomb," Anakin said starting forward.

"Anakin, we should be cautious," Obi-Wan said.

"Another of your infamous bad feelings?"

"I've been having a bad feeling since we reached this system but yes. Something isn't right here but I can't figure out what."

"I feel it too," Ahsoka said. "Well, for one, we haven't heard from Artoo. It doesn't take that long to scan the area."

Anakin frowned. "You're right. Something isn't right. Artoo wouldn't…" he broke off as a disturbance flashed through the Force.

Ahsoka leapt backwards as the doorway in front of them suddenly collapsed leaving a gap big enough for only one person to enter. Dust rose up as the rubble slammed into the ground and Ahsoka coughed before looking at the two Jedi behind her.

"Well, that was unexpected," she said.

"Yes," Obi-Wan murmured eyes narrowed.

"What's the matter, Master?" Anakin asked glancing at the Jedi Master with concern in his eyes.

"Hmm? Oh, just that bad feeling again," Obi-Wan murmured. "I think we should head back."

"Leave before the mission's complete?" Ahsoka echoed.

"It's too dangerous to go forward, Ahsoka. We could end up trapped here."

"I doubt it," said Anakin. "Before the doorway collapsed, I saw sunlight in the next chamber. The chamber's caved in over there. If we have to then we can leave through the roof."

"That might be risky."

Anakin snorted but said nothing for a moment. "I know it will be," he said. "But it might be our only way out of here."

Obi-Wan hesitated. "I don't like it," he said finally, "but, like you said, it might be our only way out of here. We're going to have to go through the gap one at a time."

"Should it be smallest first again?" Ahsoka asked.

Obi-Wan eyed the tunnel. "It looks like it doesn't matter who goes first. The gap looks big enough to let Anakin go through without too much trouble and he's the biggest of the three of us."

Ahsoka chuckled. "Definitely has the biggest ego of us three," she couldn't help but say.

Anakin glowered at her. "Funny, Snips, real funny," he said before he eyed the opening. "But it does look big enough for me to get through. Want me to try to go through first and see if I can make it through without causing it to collapse more?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "Might be best."

Ahsoka watched as Anakin began to make his way down the hallway and over the rubble through the gap. "Don't get stuck," she called.

"Oh shut up, Snips," Anakin said glancing over his shoulder before he began climbing through the gap. He managed to make it through without too much trouble though and turned around on the other side of the doorway.

"It was big enough for me," he said. "You two should be…" He broke off as a disturbance flashed through the Force.

"Duck!" Obi-Wan shouted and Ahsoka quickly dropped to the ground as the grenade shot over their heads to slam into the doorway. The resounding explosion sent debris flying in all directions and successfully sealed off the doorway.

"Anakin, are you all right?" Obi-Wan called pushing himself to his feet.

"The grenade came from your side of the hallway and you're asking if I'm all right?" Anakin sounded incredulous.

"Where did that come from?" Ahsoka asked pushing herself to her feet.

"The chamber we just left," Obi-Wan said turning around lightsaber in his hand although deactivated. Ahsoka also unclipped the lightsabers from her belt and held them at the ready though she was unsure of what the threat could be.

"Master Obi-Wan…" she began.

"That was certainly a lot easier than I thought it would be," a feminine voice said and Ahsoka turned toward the chamber just in time to see a dark-haired girl a few years older than her stepping into the hallway with a blonde man just behind her. Each of them had an unlit lightsaber in their hands.

"And who might you be?" Obi-Wan asked calmly.

The man stepped forward. "That is none of your business, Jedi," he sneered before he and the girl ignited their lightsabers; the red blades cut through the dimly lit hallway bathing it in blood-red light.

* * *

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: ha, I love cliffhangers**

**Darth: DAMN YOU (blasts Palpypie with a turbolaser)**

**Palpypie's Ghost: What did I do?**

**Darth: You're better off as a ghost**

**Anakin: (pulls out Ice, the ghost-stabbing sword) not exactly**

**Darth: that was my intention all along**

**Palpypie's ghost: I should run, shouldn't I?**

**Maul: I'd float away very quickly. Uh oh**

**Obi-Wan: (pops with a blaster that shoots magma)**

**Maul: I'm getting the hell out of here (takes off quickly)**

**Obi-Wan: you can't run fast enough**

**Maul: what do you mean? (still running)**

**Obi-Wan: (aims blaster and fires)**

**Maul: (Gets hit by magma) HOT! (Jumps into lake)**

**Palpypie's Ghost: you idiot, you just leapt into a lake of lava!**

**Maul's Ghost: dang it!**

**Anakin: cool, two targets for the price of one (starts chasing Palpypie's Ghost and Maul's ghost with Ice)**

**Maul's Ghost and Palpypie's Ghost: (floats away quickly)**

**Blaze: (laughs) and that was chapter two. Chapter three will come out as soon as I finish typing it up (and whenever I get Internet back, which will hopefully be Wednesday but might not be until this weekend) and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


	4. 3: The Acolytes' Triumph

**Thank you to the 5 people who reviewed the last chapter. This story does not take "Bounty" from Season Four of the Clone Wars into account by the way. I hope that you like this one and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

**3: The Acolytes' Triumph**

Anakin sensed that his former master and his Padawan were in danger on the other side of the ruined doorway and yet he couldn't see a way to get past it. Gritting his teeth, he turned around and examined the ceiling wondering if he could get to the hallway to help Obi-Wan and Ahsoka from the roof of the tomb.

"I wouldn't try it."

Anakin's lightsaber was in his hand and ignited when the voice cut through the quiet. It wasn't exactly silent; Anakin could hear the sounds of battle from the hallway that led into the tomb. He gazed around searching for the source of the voice but could see no one.

"Who's there?" he called.

"So you're the fabled Chosen One," that same voice said. "At least, that's what the vision that led us here seems to suggest. I was expecting someone rumored to hold so much power to be a bit older though."

Anakin kept his back to the rubble-filled to prevent whoever was speaking to him to come at him from behind. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"As if we would tell you, Jedi," a female voice hissed through the darkness.

"Quiet, Landa," the first voice snapped. "Now then, we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Anakin raised his eyebrows. "How about we do things my way?" he said. "Whoever you are, call off your companions who are fighting my friends."

"I am afraid we cannot do that unless you do things the easy way. Put down your weapon and come with us willingly and we'll tell our companions to back off."

Anakin gritted his teeth; he wasn't stupid and he wasn't about to do anything these people told him to do. He had no idea who they were after all and they obviously weren't going to tell him. They could be Separatists or people who worked for the Separatists for all he knew.

"There is no kriffing way I'm putting my weapon down and going anywhere with you," Anakin snapped.

"I told you he was going to say that," a younger male voice said smugly.

"It doesn't matter. We have our orders. We bring the Chosen One to our masters but he doesn't have to be unharmed. I guess we're doing things the hard way then though I'm not at all surprised."

Four blood-red lightsabers ignited in the dimly lit room and Anakin swore under his breath. He was outnumbered and he didn't know if they were expert lightsaber duelists or not. He still didn't know what they were but decided not to worry about it; he had to focus on the fight.

The first person, a dark eyed woman, attacked ferociously slashing at Anakin's head but he caught the attack and blocked the second attack that was thrust at him. A second one, blonde, no more than a few years older than Ahsoka, attacked but a Force push caught him off guard and sent him flying into the dark-eyed woman. The third to attack was dark-skinned and wielded a double-bladed lightsaber. Anakin had a difficult time blocking those attacks but managed to dodge all of them only to find himself facing the fourth member; red-haired and wielding two blades like Asajj Ventress used to.

Four on one; the odds were against him and the battle was made more difficult for him to win in that the chamber was small and filled with fragments of stone from the collapsed roof. Anakin needed to get out of that chamber in order to make the fight a little fairer. Not that it would be fair at all with four dark Jedi, that's what Anakin was calling them since he was unsure of what they were exactly, fighting him.

The blonde dark Jedi and the dark-eyed one rejoined the fight pushing Anakin backwards until his back was against the wall next to the doorway. He blocked the thrust from the dark-skinned dark Jedi and dodged the attack from the blonde and the dark-eyed woman.

"You are outnumbered," the dark-skinned one said holding his double-bladed lightsaber at a ready as he gestured with his free hand to the others and they backed off. They surrounded Anakin though but were giving him some space to catch his breath.

"Give up now. You can't defeat all of us," the red-haired said.

"Wanna bet?" Anakin said showing more bravado than he was currently feeling. The odds were definitely against him and he wasn't about to underestimate them; the last time he underestimated an opponent, he lost his arm. But he wasn't about to admit that he knew the odds were against him out loud.

The dark-skinned dark Jedi sighed. "You're badly outnumbered and you still think you can win? Your arrogance is going to cost you." He and his three companions launched a simultaneous attack that had Anakin on the defensive almost instantly.

"Let's end this before his companions get the better of Renali, Gabrien and Arida," the dark-eyed woman said as her thrust was blocked by Anakin's blade.

"It's just Renali and Gabrien. Renali said that Arida disappeared and we have no idea where she went," said the blonde dark Jedi.

"That means they're evenly matched and I am not going to underestimate the famed Sith killer's skills."

Anakin frowned at that. _How did they know about that?_ He wondered silently.

"You've proven a capable opponent, Chosen One. You lasted a lot longer than I thought you would," the dark-skinned dark Jedi said. "But that's about to change."

The blonde, the red-head and the dark-eyed dark Jedi deactivated their lightsabers and combined their power. The Force push, back by strength in the Force of three individuals, slammed into Anakin sending him flying into the wall of the tomb and leaving him dazed.

The dark-skinned dark Jedi held out his hands and forks of Force lightning shot from his fingertips to slam into Anakin's body. The pain was intense as intense as it had been when Dooku hit him with it back on Geonosis. Anakin collapsed onto the ground gritting his teeth to keep from crying out from the pain but the dark Jedi kept the lightning on him until the first scream was torn from his lips.

* * *

A scream echoed through the tomb causing Obi-Wan's head to shot up eyes widening before he quickly turned his attention back to his fight. The blonde man was definitely a skilled opponent able to block most of Obi-Wan's attacks and launch his own. They were at a stalemate; their blades blocking or parrying the others' attacks and neither of them could gain ground on their opponent.

Ahsoka was having a bit of a hard time with her opponent. The dark-haired girl seemed to have more experience when it came to the blade based on the way she was able to counter many of the attacks Ahsoka launched at her but Ahsoka wasn't deterred in the slightest by this. However, the scream had startled her and caused her opponent to nearly slice her arm off had she not leapt backwards to avoid it.

Her eyes widened considerably and she looked at Obi-Wan worriedly as she blocked another attack. The blonde man retracted his blade before looking at his companion. "Come, Renali, we're done here," he said deactivating his lightsaber.

The girl, Renali, nodded before she also deactivated her lightsaber and dashed out of the hallway just behind the blonde man. Ahsoka started to go after them but she stopped as another scream tore through the tomb. "Anakin," she whispered before she dashed toward the rubble-filled doorway.

Obi-Wan stopped her. "We won't be able to get to Anakin that way," he said.

"What do we do then?" Ahsoka asked worriedly.

"It looks like we'll have to do Anakin's plan. Go over the roof of the tomb and hope we don't cause it all to cave in." Obi-Wan didn't like the idea, especially not if Anakin was still within the tomb, but he knew there was no other way he and Ahsoka could get to Anakin in time to be of any help. The screams were starting to get weaker and Obi-Wan knew they were running out of time.

He and Ahsoka made their way out of the hallway into the rubble-filled chamber before they used the Force to leap through the hole in the ceiling to land on the roof of the hallway they were just in. Narrowing his eyes as they were momentarily blinded by Korriban's sun, Obi-Wan started forward only to duck when a disturbance hit him. Ahsoka crouched down beside him as turbolaser fire shot over their head to slam into the roof they were currently standing on. The roof trembled warningly but it didn't seem in danger of collapsing yet.

Pivoting, Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber and blocked the turbolaser bolts coming from the ship before looking at Ahsoka who was doing the same thing. The ship flew over them forcing the two Jedi to pivot again and the turrets turned around to continue to fire on them or, more importantly, on the roof they were standing on.

"They're trying to collapse the roof," Ahsoka said blocking a laser bolt.

"It would seem that way yes." Obi-Wan said.

His only warning was a disturbance and he grabbed Ahsoka's arm before pulling her back but it was too late. Battered by the heavy fire it was receiving from the ship's turbolasers, the roof they were crouched on collapsed taking Obi-Wan and Ahsoka with it.

* * *

Renali hurried to the top of the boarding ramp as it was lowered soon after the roof to the hallway collapsed taking the two Jedi with it. She peered through the caved in roof of the tomb as Sebas and Landa who were teaming up to lift Skywalker's unconscious body between them. "They're coming," she called into the cockpit where Gabrien was flying.

Gabrien's response was to lower the ship until it was hovering mere centimeters from the roof of the tomb. Sebas and Landa leapt onto the boarding ramp half-dragging, half-carrying Skywalker between them. Renali stretched out a hand to help but Sebas shook his head. "We have him," he said before he and Landa made their way into the main hold of the ship. Leaf and Ingri followed them and, once they were within the hold, Renali lifted the boarding ramp.

"We can go now," Sebas said.

"What about Arida?" Leaf asked with a frown.

"She left before the attack even began," Renali said. "She said something about not wishing to get mixed up with the Jedi again."

"Traitor," Landa growled. "Just wait until I catch up with her. I make her pay for betraying us."

"Right now, let's just get out of here. If Arida was smart, she would already be long gone from here," Gabrien called from within the cockpit.

"He's right, Landa," Sebas said. "Help me secure Skywalker. Renali, I want you to contact the Pentarchy and tell them about what has happened."

Renali's eyes widened. Whenever a mission was a success, it was always an honor for whoever was chosen to report the success to the Pentarchy. She wondered if this meant she might be one step closer to the end of her apprenticeship. "Yes Sebas," she said before she made her way into the small communications room of the cruiser.

She punched in the frequency that would connect her to her master and waited for her master to answer. It was a long moment before Sya's hologram appeared before her and she knelt down before lowering her head respectfully. "Master," she said

"_Renali, what do you have to report?_" Sya asked.

"The mission was a success, Master," Renali said. "My vision was a vision after all and we succeeded in capturing Skywalker."

Sya looked pleased. "_Very good, apprentice, very good. Hold on for one moment,_" she said before her hologram disappeared only to reappear a moment later with the holograms of the four other members of the Pentarchy.

Renali hesitated but decided to go with her gut. "I have something else to report," she said.

Sya looked at her. "_Speak then,_" she ordered.

"One of the Sith acolytes who came with us, Arida, has betrayed us," Renali said. "She fled before our plan to capture Skywalker was put into motion. She told me that she didn't want to get mixed up with the Jedi again, implying that she's had past dealings with the Jedi, and she left."

"_If she has left then she might help the Jedi,_" Myak said coolly. "_I knew we shouldn't have invited her to join us especially since, after she joined, she spent most of her time as a bounty hunter. I told you we should have expelled her when we learned of that._"

"_She desired vengeance and we were willing to help her get vengeance,_" Daisa said. "_We cannot fault the fact that she only joined us to learn more dark side teachings, teachings she never attained with her previous master. However, I agree that we should not have let her stay with us after she left to become a bounty hunter._"

"_She never even took the time to tell us of what occurred earlier this week that convinced her to come back,_" Shadai said.

"_She only joined for the teachings and nothing more; she has no loyalty to us or anyone,_" Myak said.

Miser's eyes were narrowed. "_She still desires vengeance,_" he murmured. "_After failing to achieve vengeance against one of the people who wronged her, she came back here hoping to learn more so that she may finally achieve her wish. Instead of teaching her more, Lady Sya sent her with the apprentice to Korriban to capture the Chosen One. That was not what she wanted at all. I do agree that she has no loyalty to us or to anyone. She never did._"

"_So why did you agree to let her join, Lord Miser?_" Sya asked with a frown.

"_I thought she would become loyal to us in the end but she did not. Our failure to gain Arida's loyalty has made me realize we will need to put more, much more, into our efforts to convert the Chosen One and gain his loyalty. However, if Arida has really betrayed us then we must tread carefully. If she decides to help the Jedi then she could lead them directly to us. We must do what we can to prevent that from happening, at least until we've succeeded in converting the Chosen One._"

"_It will not be easy to convert the Chosen One,_" Sya said.

"_We will do what we must. Keep an eye out for the traitor, Apprentice Renali._"

"Yes my Lord," Renali replied lowering her head.

"_You have done well, Apprentice Renali. When you return, you shall be at the end of your apprenticeship and shall be named a full-fledged Sith acolyte._"

Renali was excited; after training for so many years, she was finally going to attain the title that would make her an official member of the Sith acolytes. "Yes my Lord," she said bowing her head and the four holograms disappeared.

* * *

Ahsoka coughed before lifting her head. "Ow, what happened?" she asked gazing around. She founded that she was lying on top of a pile of rubble with Korriban's sun bathing her in rays of red light. She gazed around and found Obi-Wan stirring nearby and the memory of what happened came back to her.

"Are you all right, Ahsoka?" Obi-Wan asked sitting up and rubbing his head.

"I'm fine. What about you?"

The Jedi Master grimaced. "I think I might have aggravated a few of the wounds Maul gave me," he said wincing as he moved to Ahsoka's side.

Ahsoka looked toward the hole in the ceiling above their heads before she stretched out with the Force. She could sense that her master was unconscious and that he was no longer on Korriban but he was also getting further way. "Master Obi-Wan, was this all a trap?" she asked.

"I think it was," Obi-Wan said. "And we walked right into it. Those dark Jedi must have had this planned out right down to separating us from Anakin."

"So they were after Anakin?" Ahsoka asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Why else would they have taken him?"

"But why?"

The Jedi Master sighed before wincing again. "I don't know."

"What are we going to do? We have to help him," Ahsoka said determinably.

Obi-Wan smiled a little before he pushed himself to his feet and held out a hand to help Ahsoka up. "The first thing we need to do is figure out where he's been taken and, unfortunately, I have no idea where they could have gone."

"Could they be taking Anakin to the Separatists?" Ahsoka asked.

"It's possible considering we are in Separatists-controlled space but I honestly don't know. Right now, let's get out of here and back to the _Twilight._ Then, we'll try to figure out what to do."

The Togruta apprentice nodded before she and Obi-Wan limped out of the hallway into the first chamber of the tomb. Using the Force, the two of them left the tomb and stepped into the sunlight-bathed courtyard in the center of the Valley.

They made their way toward the _Twilight_ and entered it. Ahsoka looked toward the immobilized Artoo and sighed. "That explains why Artoo wasn't able to contact us," she said. "He must have detected those dark Jedi and the dark Jedi deactivated him to prevent him from contacting us."

Obi-Wan nodded in agreement. "See if you can activate him again. I doubt he'll have any information that can help us though. I'll get the _Twilight_ ready to leave."

Ahsoka nodded before she lifted Artoo back into a standing position. She began to fiddle with him in an attempt to get him activated again as she felt the main engines of the _Twilight_ hum to life.

Almost as soon as Ahsoka finished reactivating Artoo, he began to beep and whistle wildly while rocking back and forth. "Hey, hey, calm down Artoo, calm down," Ahsoka said placing a hand on Artoo's domed head.

Artoo beeped again before the hologram of the dark-haired girl Ahsoka had fought earlier appeared. The girl moved forward with a frown on her face. "_Blast, I never saw a droid in my vision,_" the girl said before she ignited her lightsaber and would have cleaved Artoo in too had he not moved out of the way. Then she pulled out a blaster and fired on Artoo; after that, everything went fuzzy.

"Hmm, she must have hit you with an ion blast," Ahsoka said. "Well, at least you're back with us, Artooey."

Artoo beeped before whistling sorrowfully.

Ahsoka patted his domed head before standing up and making her way into the cockpit of the ship. "What do we do now, Master Obi-Wan?" she asked slipping into the co-pilot's seat.

"The only thing we can do right now is contact the Jedi Council and tell them of what has happened," Obi-Wan said glancing at the young Togruta Padawan.

Ahsoka sighed. "I hope Anakin's okay," she whispered.

"As do I, Ahsoka," Obi-Wan replied softly.

* * *

Arida knew that as soon as the freighter left Korriban's atmosphere, Kenobi would sense her presence. She only knew the reason they couldn't sense her now was because the dark side that swelled from Korriban's surface made it difficult for any Force presences, especially dark side presences, to be sensed. She was hoping Kenobi and Skywalker's pet would sense her though; she was starting to ache in the position she was in.

She never would have thought she would find herself in a position where she would be asking help from the Jedi yet again. Of course, she only sought a way off Korriban since the Sith acolytes had left without her. Considering she had told Renali that she didn't want to get mixed up with the Jedi again, not so soon after her last brush with the Jedi, she was sure they were declaring her a traitor.

To think, she only joined the acolytes to learn more about the dark side of the Force to get vengeance against her former master and her former apprentice along with her former apprentice's brother. She still remembered the last time she fought her former apprentice and his brother; it hadn't been that long ago.

Arida rested her head against the durasteel wall of the compartment she had managed to squeeze herself into. She could feel the hum of the engines and heard the sound of the thrusters being activated. It wouldn't be long now.

Closing her eyes, Arida stretched out with the Force. She was irritated with Lady Sya for assigning her to this mission when she wasn't even a member of the Sith acolytes out of loyalty; she only wanted to learn more to finally be able to defeat her former apprentice and his brother. When the acolytes taught her what she thought was enough to defeat her former apprentice and his brother, she left and began the life of a bounty hunter until she discovered where her former apprentice was and learned he had a brother. After being brought to a stalemate with her former apprentice and his brother, she realized she would need to learn more if she was ever going to be able to defeat them.

So she returned to the Sith acolytes on Darkknell. They taught her some new techniques but then they decided to send her on a mission. It made pretending to be loyal to them very tedious; after being betrayed by her former master and her former apprentice, she was loyal to no one but herself. She was sure the Pentarchy knew it but they did nothing about it perhaps believing that, in time, she would become loyal to them.

Naturally, that did not happen.

Arida opened her eyes as she felt the freighter leave Korriban's atmosphere. _Well, time to see how soon it will be before Kenobi and Skywalker's pet sense my presence,_ she thought.

She did not have to wait long.

* * *

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: love this twist. Anyone who has figured out who Arida really is will get a virtual slice of pie**

**Darth: I know, I know, I know**

**Blaze: I already told you**

**Darth: but I want pie**

**Blaze: (hands Darth chocolate-crème pie)**

**Darth: YAY! PIE! (Takes pie and runs)**

**Anakin: I know, can I have a slice?**

**Blaze: who is it?**

**Anakin: (whispers answer into Blaze's ear)**

**Blaze: yup. That's right (Hands Anakin cherry pie)**

**Anakin: YAY!**

**Obi-Wan: you gave him cherry pie? Oh no**

**Blaze: (chuckles) please review and I will post chapter 4 as soon as I possibly can but I doubt it will be anytime soon and if anyone can figure out who Arida really is, feel free to post it in their reviews. It will be revealed in the next chapter.**


	5. 4: Awakened and Allied

**Thank you to the 5 people who reviewed the last chapter. I also changed the summary of this story because I'm planning on writing a sequel once I finish this story. I hope that you like this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

**4: Awakened and Allied**

Anakin groaned before opening his eyes. He found he was lying on a durasteel floor with his wrists bound behind his back. His body ached from the multiple strikes of lightning that dark-skinned dark Jedi had hit him with but he forced himself to lift his head and look around. He was lying in the main hold of a ship and a dark-haired girl a few years older than Ahsoka was sitting cross-legged nearby.

The girl opened her eyes before looking at Anakin. "You're awake," she said sounding a little surprised before she uncrossed her legs and stood up. She left the main hold of the ship but returned a moment later with the dark-skinned dark Jedi that had hit Anakin with Force lightning earlier. Behind him came an older blonde man.

"So you are awake," said the dark-skinned man.

"Who are you?" Anakin demanded.

"I suppose we may as well tell you now," the blonde dark Jedi said. "We are Sith acolytes under the leadership of the Pentarchy."

Anakin's eyes narrowed. "Sith?" he repeated. "I thought there were only two; a master and an apprentice." _Or four if we count Maul and Savage,_ he thought but didn't repeat his thought out loud.

"We represent a time before Darth Bane's Rule of Two," said the dark-skinned Sith acolyte "The Pentarchy is going to reward us greatly for bringing the Chosen One to them."

Anakin simply glared at them.

"Renali, you stay here and keep an eye on him. He won't be able to do anything with those Force-resistant stun cuffs but it was because of you that we were able to capture him so you will get the honor of presenting him to the Pentarchy when we reach Darkknell," the dark-skinned acolyte said.

"Yes Sebas," the girl, Renali, replied with a slight incline of her head. She settled down beside Anakin while Sebas and the blonde acolyte left the main hold.

Anakin used the wall he was resting against to push himself into a seated position before leaning against the durasteel wall. He tugged at the cuffs that secured his wrists but they wouldn't budge and he knew he wouldn't be able to remove them with the Force. That meant he was stuck and still didn't know what these acolytes were going to do with him.

"You're a lot younger than many thought you would be," Renali said breaking the silence that had fallen on them.

Anakin said nothing.

Renali narrowed her eyes. "I certainly don't want to travel all the way to Darkknell in silence, Chosen One," she said.

"Don't call me that," Anakin snapped. He hated that title and never believed it belonged to him until after the events on Mortis.

"If you would tell me your name then I wouldn't have to call you that," Renali retorted.

"Anakin," Anakin replied finally. He would rather someone call him by his name rather than the title he disliked more than any of the titles he had.

"Very well Anakin. I'm Renali Merin."

Anakin simply nodded in reply.

"You certainly don't talk much," the acolyte said.

"I'm not in the habit of talking civilly with my captors," Anakin retorted.

"I am trying to be civilized, Anakin."

"Perhaps you can tell me why this Pentarchy wants me," Anakin said.

Renali raised her eyebrows. "Do you really have to ask?" she asked. When the Jedi Knight didn't answer, she went on, "You're the Chosen One. You're the most powerful Jedi in history. The Pentarchy sees you as a potential ally or a potential threat."

"So what? They're going to kill me?"

Renali snorted. "Why would they waste such power like that?" she said. "But I have spoken too much of this. My masters will be upset if I speak too much of what they are going to do with you."

She looked at Anakin. "You may as well rest. We'll be reaching Darkknell in a few standard days," she said before she crossed her legs and slipped into a meditative trance successfully ending the conversation.

* * *

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes as he guided the _Twilight_ past the atmosphere of Korriban. Now that they were away from the planet, Obi-Wan found that he could sense people's Force presences again; they were no longer shrouded by the dark side. What was odd was that he sensed three presences onboard the _Twilight_ instead of two and he recognized the third presence.

"Master, I sense a familiar presence," Ahsoka said with a frown.

"I do too." Obi-Wan put the freighter on auto pilot before getting to his feet and making his way into the main hold of the ship. He folded his arms across his chest. "I know you're here," he called out.

There was a moment of silence before a familiar voice sounded. "You took your time, Kenobi," the voice said and Obi-Wan turned slightly as one of the compartments opened and Asajj Ventress pulled herself out of it.

"Ventress!" Ahsoka growled lightsabers in her hand and ignited.

"Never thought we'd run into each other so soon after Raydonia, darling," Obi-Wan said.

Ventress scowled. "Can't say I'm thrilled at seeing you again so soon, Kenobi," she said. "It pains me to say it but I need your help again."

Obi-Wan's eyebrows rose. "You need my help?" he echoed. "What are you doing on Korriban anyway?"

Ventress growled. "Yes, I need your help. I do not have time for twenty questions, Kenobi. I know where those acolytes are taking Skywalker."

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. "And how would you know that, my dear?"

"Because I was with the acolytes when they discussed their plan."

"You're one of them," Ahsoka said stepping forward.

Ventress laughed shortly. "One of them? I was never one of them. I am loyal to no one but myself. I only went to them to learn enough to defeat Dooku and Savage for betraying me and, after we lost against Maul and Savage above Raydonia, I went back to learn more. They decided to send me on a mission rather than teach me more though."

"And that mission was to kidnap Anakin?"

"Yes, they believe he is some Chosen One. I didn't hear their entire plan concerning him but I did overhear something about converting Skywalker to the dark side but I don't think that's the main plan."

Worry went through Obi-Wan but his calm façade remained in place. "Where are they taking him?"

"Unless you help me, I will not tell you," Ventress retorted.

"What do you want, Ventress?"

"For now, I just wanted to get off Korriban. So long as you promise to help me later, I will tell you of where Skywalker is being taken," Ventress said.

"Typical Sith, I don't trust her Master Kenobi," Ahsoka said. "She'll stab us in the back the first chance she gets."

Obi-Wan sighed. "I don't trust her either, Ahsoka," he said, "but I sense she is telling the truth and, right now, she is the only one who knows where Anakin is."

Ahsoka scowled. "Don't try any funny business, you harpy," she said.

"My, you certainly take after your master, pet," Ventress retorted.

"We need to contact the Council right now, Ahsoka," Obi-Wan said to forestall the blooming argument. "And it would be best if they don't know you're involved in this, Ventress."

"As if I want everyone to know I'm involved. I didn't want to get involved," Ventress said before she sat down in the middle of the cargo hold of the ship.

Ahsoka eyed Ventress warily before she followed Obi-Wan as he led the way into the cockpit. Once they were seated in the cockpit, Obi-Wan put a transmission through to the Jedi Council and waited for them to reply. A few minutes passed before Yoda and Mace Windu's holograms appeared.

"_Obi-Wan, the mission how did it go?_" Yoda asked.

"It could have gone better, Master Yoda," Obi-Wan replied.

"_Did you find the holocron?_" asked Mace.

"I'm afraid not and something more happened. We were confronted by people who claim to be Sith acolytes," Obi-Wan said mingling what they knew with what Ventress told them in that last statement. "They captured Anakin."

"_Sith acolytes?_" asked Mace surprised. "_I thought there were only two, the master and the apprentice._"

"That is what I thought as well," said Obi-Wan. "Except for Maul and Savage."

"_Do you think they are connected with Maul and Savage?_"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I find it highly unlikely," he said. "No, it seems to me that they set up the attack in Marka Ragnos's tomb in order to capture Anakin but I don't know why."

"_The Chosen One he is as was proven on Mortis. Perhaps the reason for this that is,_" Yoda suggested.

"It's possible. We also learned that they plan on trying to convert him to the dark side."

"_Good that is not,_" Yoda said. "_A powerful ally for these Sith acolytes Skywalker would be if succeeded in converting Skywalker these acolytes do._"

"I agree. I know here they are going so I'm going after them," Obi-Wan said.

"_Dangerous that is, Obi-Wan. Know these Sith acolytes we do not. Need backup you do,_" Yoda said.

Obi-Wan bit his lip but, before he could respond, Ahsoka spoke.

"But getting some backup here would take too long. The longer we wait here for the backup, the more time these acolytes have to turn Anakin to the dark side," she protested. "We need to go after him now."

Obi-Wan thought about Anakin; his passionate, temperamental, impatient former apprentice and his thoughts drifted to Mortis and seeing his beloved brother turned to the dark side by the Son. "Ahsoka's right," he said quietly. "We have to keep in mind that these acolytes might not care if they don't get Anakin's loyalty willingly. They could force him to be loyal to him through who knows what means."

"_You do not know that,_" said Mace.

"I do not want to take the chance that I'm right," Obi-Wan said.

"_Get the feeling I do that letting your feelings get in the way you are, Obi-Wan,_" Yoda said.

Obi-Wan kept the calm façade on. "Masters, just as you said before, Anakin could be a powerful ally to these Sith acolytes if they succeed in turning him. We don't know of what they have planned for the galaxy if they do manage to succeed. We have to consider this a worst case scenario so we know, in essence, what may or may not occur," he replied.

The two Jedi Masters were silent. "_We will discuss this with the Council and get back to you on this, Obi-Wan,_" Mace said.

"Yes masters," Obi-Wan said before Mace disconnected the transmission.

"They'll never decide in time," Ahsoka protested. "Master Kenobi, we don't know what these Sith acolytes are going to do to Anakin while we wait here for the Council to make a decision."

"I know, Ahsoka," Obi-Wan said closing his eyes briefly. His brother was out there in the clutches of Sith acolytes; he knew he would be defying the Council, technically, by not waiting for their decision but he wanted to help his brother.

Obi-Wan opened his eyes before standing up and making his way into the cargo hold. He gazed at Ventress who was still seated in the middle of the cargo hold. "Where is Anakin, Ventress?" he asked.

Ventress opened her eyes. "Will you help me in exchange?" she asked.

"You have my word."

Ventress stood up but Obi-Wan felt her reaching out with the Force as if to determine if he was telling her the truth. Satisfied that he was, she made her way toward the cockpit. "They're taking him to Darkknell."

* * *

"Converting Skywalker to the dark side is going to be tough, Lord Miser," said Lady Daisa.

"We have already said that it would be tough," Lord Miser, leader of the Pentarchy, said calmly. He normally didn't speak during the Pentarchy meetings but he made an exception for the discussion of the plans concerning Skywalker. "Besides if we cannot get Skywalker to join the dark side willingly, I have a plan to fall back on that will force him to join the dark side."

"Are you talking about the ritual?" asked Daisa with a frown. "We cannot trust his intentions."

"And yet his offer might be our only chance to get Skywalker to join the dark side if all else fails."

"He will try to take over leadership of the Sith acolytes if we go through with this ritual. Turning Skywalker to the dark side is one thing, going through with the ritual is a completely different matter," said Lady Sya.

"We do not have to consider this other plan until we know whether we can convert Skywalker to the dark side or not," Miser said. He suspected that they wouldn't be able to succeed with the first idea; at least, he hoped that was the case. He had a deal with the ancient spirit and he wasn't about to back out of the deal. The rest of the Pentarchy knew nothing of the deal he made with the ancient spirit though and he resolved to keep it that way.

"I thought we decided that if we cannot convert Skywalker then we can kill him," Shadai protested and Myak nodded in agreement.

"The ritual I am talking about is a fate worse than death," Miser said.

Shadai scowled clearly furious that he couldn't kill Skywalker should they fail to convert him to the dark side. Miser could see Myak's own anger mirroring Shadai's but he said nothing about it.

"Gabrien, Renali and the others should be back soon," he said. "We need to figure out where to hold Skywalker so that he cannot escape."

"The tower might be best," Sya said. "Even if he did manage to get free from Force resistant stun cuffs, which I find highly unlikely, there is only one way into the tower and it can be guarded constantly. It's also too high up for him to leave through the window."

Miser nodded. "That is a good idea, Lady Sya," he said. "Does anyone have any objections?"

No one answered although Myak and Shadai still looked angry.

"Then let's wait for the successful party to return," Miser said.

* * *

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: and that was chapter 4**

**Darth: what's going to happen in the next chapter?**

**Blaze: arrival on Darkknell, a nightmare and some other things, I'm not sure yet**

**Darth: oh okay**

**Blaze: yup please review and I will post chapter 5 as soon as I possibly can but I doubt it will be anytime soon**


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